Friends of Socialist China, Author at Friends of Socialist China

Xi Jinping sets out plans for BRICS to stand on the right side of history

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the 18th Summit of the BRICS cooperation mechanism held in the Indian capital New Delhi from September 12 to 13 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

President Xi attended the first session of the summit on the afternoon of September 12. Chaired by Prime Minister Modi, it was also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE’s) Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Khaled bin Mohamed, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, and others.

Xi Jinping delivered a statement entitled “Jointly Shouldering the Responsibility of the Times and Striving to Be a Pioneering Force”.

He pointed out that this year marks the 20th anniversary of BRICS cooperation. Over the past two decades, BRICS has been growing with strong vigour and vitality and has become the most influential cooperation platform in today’s world for emerging markets and developing countries. These are 20 years of self-reliance and self-strengthening. BRICS countries have actively explored development paths suited to respective national conditions and set a fine example of emerging markets and developing countries seeking strength through unity. These are 20 years of standing together through wind and rain. Hand in hand BRICS countries have tackled the global financial crisis, the COVID pandemic, climate change and other challenges, and resolutely defended the common interests of the Global South, providing the world with stability and positive energy.

President Xi stressed that, today, changes unseen in a century are accelerating across the world. The Global South is gaining strength, and the trend toward a multipolar world is unstoppable. At the same time, unilateralism and power politics are surging against the tide, lashing at multilateralism and the international order. The deficits in peace, development, security and governance keep growing. BRICS must stand firmly on the right side of history, strive to be a pioneer of our times, steer the international order in a direction that is more just and equitable, and work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity.

In this regard he put forward four points:

BRICS should be a pioneer in advancing innovation-driven development. BRICS countries must keep the initiative firmly in their hands, strengthen cooperation in the field of AI, encourage open source, openness, collaboration and sharing, and break new ground and scale new heights in practical cooperation.
BRICS should be a pioneer in upholding peace and stability. We should act on the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, oppose the Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation, and oppose violation of other countries’ sovereignty or interference in other countries’ internal affairs. We should participate constructively in the settlement of hotspot issues and make BRICS’ unique contribution to addressing both the symptoms and root causes.
BRICS should be a pioneer in facilitating mutual learning between civilisations. We should promote the common values of humanity, and advocate exchange, mutual learning and harmonious coexistence between civilisations. We should hold the BRICS People-to-People Exchange Forum to share experience on national governance and build up positive energy for stable state-to-state relations.
BRICS should be a pioneer in reforming and improving global governance. BRICS should align with the trend toward greater democracy in international relations, work toward a more just and equitable global governance system, and uphold the authority of the United Nations.

The Chinese president added that during its arduous journey of 20 years, solidarity and cooperation have always been the source of strength for the cause of BRICS. We should continue treating each other with candour and sincerity and seeking common ground while shelving differences. China will take over the BRICS chairship next year and host the 19th BRICS Summit. The Chinese side will seize the opportunity to build consensus and work with all parties to plan for the future.

On the morning of September 13, President Xi Jinping attended Session II of the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, and delivered an important statement entitled “Cementing the Foundation for BRICS Cooperation and Bolstering the Strength of the Global South”.

President Xi pointed out that this meeting is held at a time when changes unseen in a century are accelerating across the world. The Global South, with its collective rise, has become a key driver of world multipolarity. At the same time, the international landscape is volatile and fraught with risks and challenges. To bring stability to the world and make it a better place, BRICS countries must seize the historical initiative, rally the Global South, be an active, stabilising and positive force in international affairs, and advance the well-being of all humanity.

He stressed that Global South countries should jointly defend the rule of law in international affairs, safeguard the basic norms of international relations including sovereign equality, noninterference in internal affairs, and the peaceful settlement of disputes, and ensure that international law and international rules are applied to all, free from double standards. The international financial architecture must be reformed and improved to increase the representation and voice of developing countries. Global South countries should stay committed to a people-centred development philosophy and strive to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

President Xi pointed out that to accomplish great things and achieve major progress, the foundation of greater BRICS cooperation must be cemented. BRICS should leverage close ties with fellow emerging markets and Global South countries, uphold open cooperation for mutual benefit, safeguard stable and smooth industrial and supply chains, foster a larger integrated market, build incubators for innovation, upgrade traditional industries, develop emerging industries, and deploy future industries. He put forward five initiatives for deepening BRICS cooperation:

The open source and inclusive AI initiative. China will be a pioneer in establishing a BRICS AI open source community, support cooperation in developing and applying large language models, hold specialised AI seminars and training courses, and build an open ecosystem for AI.
The trade and investment facilitation initiative. China proposes to establish a BRICS special economic zone partnership, under which countries can set up an intelligent portal, coordinate policies, and build a new frontier for open development.
The digital industry cooperation initiative. China will push for establishing a BRICS digital ecosystem cloud platform, and conduct digital skills training, technological exchange and industrial alignment, so as to jointly enable the development of the digital economy.
The intelligent manufacturing cooperation initiative. China stands ready to assist fellow BRICS countries in building smart factories and developing standards and norms and jointly promote manufacturing transformation and upgrading.
The science and technology talent development initiative. China proposes to set up a BRICS engineer cultivation alliance for joint development of engineers and mutual recognition of competency standards.

The session was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, the UAE’s Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Khaled bin Mohamed, the Brazilian and Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministers, leaders or representatives of BRICS partner countries and guest countries, and Secretary General António Guterres of the United Nations and other heads of international organisations, and was chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India and China need to contribute more positive energy to world peace, stability, development and prosperity

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit in the Indian capital New Delhi on September 12. The two leaders had a candid and in-depth exchange of views and reached an important consensus that China and India should be partners.

Xi said China has always viewed and developed its relations with India from a strategic height and with a long-term perspective. He noted that he has met with Modi twice over the past two years, which had guided bilateral relations from a new start to a further improvement. China and India have different national conditions, Xi said, adding that they can draw on each other’s strengths, support one another, help each other succeed and pursue common development. Amid a turbulent international landscape, China and India, as the world’s two most populous countries and important members of the Global South, shoulder important responsibilities. They need to keep in mind the future of humanity and the well-being of peoples, work together to promote high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation, and contribute more positive energy to world peace, stability, development and prosperity.

Xi further called on China and India to draw on the political wisdom of mutual respect and understanding to overcome disruptions, urging both sides to pursue parallel progress in bilateral ties and border issues with the two tracks reinforcing each other, so as to maintain peace and tranquility in their border areas. He further said that the two countries should support each other as rotating chair of the BRICS, strengthen coordination within such multilateral frameworks as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the G-20, stand together in addressing global challenges, and unequivocally uphold international fairness and justice.

Prime Minister Modi said that he has held several productive meetings with Xi, guiding India-China relations toward a positive direction, which serves the common interests of the more than 2.8 billion people of both countries. The two major civilisations of India and China have, over thousands of years, learned from each other through exchanges and moved forward hand in hand. India adheres to an independent foreign policy, and the development of its relations with China is not subject to the influence of any third party, he noted.

India thanked China for its support for its hosting of the BRICS summit and will fully support China in assuming the BRICS chairmanship next year. Modi added that India is ready to closely coordinate and cooperate with China to jointly strengthen cooperation among Global South countries, promote a more multipolar world and global economic growth, and serve as a force for stability and progress in a turbulent world.

Sunlight and sovereignty: the Chinese technology behind Africa’s solar boom

Africa’s solar installations rose by a record 54 percent in 2025, and 15 major African markets imported more than $400 million worth of solar panels in the first quarter of 2026 alone – more than two-thirds of the total for the whole of the previous year. In this article, Carlos Martinez looks at what lies behind those numbers.

The projects driving the continent’s green transition are overwhelmingly built and financed by China, from the Benban Solar Park in Egypt and the Adama wind farms in Ethiopia to De Aar in South Africa and a solar plant with battery storage in every one of Zambia’s 156 constituencies. What has made them viable is two decades of sustained Chinese public investment, which has driven the global cost of renewable energy down to a fraction of what it was 15 years ago.

Carlos also takes on the charge, increasingly fashionable in parts of the Western left, that this amounts to a new “green imperialism”. Market share, he argues, describes a trade relationship, not domination and coercion – and the function of the accusation, whatever the intention behind it, is to manufacture consent for the New Cold War.

A report in the South China Morning Post on 7 September highlights the contrast in energy policy between the United States, where, particularly under the present administration, the watchword is “drill, baby, drill”, and China, where the national strategy is to “walk towards the light”. Two energy behemoths, two approaches to the future of the planet, and the resulting choice facing the people of Africa.

The SCMP article observes that, for African governments seeking to expand access to electricity, the principal deciding factor is cost. And on cost, the argument is now over.

Africa’s solar installations rose a record 54 percent in 2025, adding 4.5 gigawatts of new photovoltaic capacity, and that record is likely to be broken again this year. The International Energy Agency reports that 15 major African markets imported more than $400 million worth of solar panels in the first quarter of 2026 alone – against $600 million for the whole of 2025.

“Africa’s solar revolution is here,” says Sonia Dunlop, chief executive of the Global Solar Council. “Growth is spreading to new markets across the continent, and rooftop and distributed systems are putting power directly into the hands of households and businesses.”

China supports Mexico’s defence of its independence, sovereignty and security

Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico Roberto Velasco Álvarez visited China from September 6-7 at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The two foreign ministers held talks in Beijing on September 7.

Wang Yi said that China has always viewed and advanced China-Mexico relations from the strategic perspective of unity and cooperation among countries in the Global South. China appreciates Mexico’s long-term and firm adherence to the one-China principle and supports Mexico in maintaining its independence and autonomy, safeguarding its sovereignty and security, and opposing external interference.

Noting that China and Mexico share similar positions on many international and regional issues, Wang said China is ready to strengthen strategic coordination with Mexico on the international and multilateral stages to safeguard the respective legitimate interests of the two countries.

Velasco said the Mexican side commends the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence proposed by China and firmly adheres to the one-China principle and upholds the authority of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758, which restored China’s rightful seat in the world body.

The Mexican foreign minister further said that Mexico supports China in holding the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting, which will be held in Shenzhen in November, and its playing a leading role, expressing willingness to strengthen coordination and cooperation with China to jointly safeguard the international multilateral system.

The importance of Wang Yi’s strong statement in support of Mexico’s independence, security and sovereignty and in opposition to external interference has to be seen in the context of the steadily mounting bullying, aggression and threats emanating from the Trump administration in the US as part of its current hemispheric hegemonic rampage.

Three days later, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated her stance on national sovereignty and rejected US political pandering at Mexico’s expense ahead of the US midterm elections on November 3.

“As we have always said, Mexico is nobody’s piñata. Mexico must be respected. We do not interfere in their elections. They also should not use Mexico in their elections,” Sheinbaum said during her regular daily press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City. (Typically associated with Mexico, a piñata is generally described as a container, often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth, that is decorated, filled with candy, and then broken as part of a celebration.)

The president was responding to recent comments by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who claimed that drug trafficking groups control “vast territories” of Mexico and that they “pose an enormous threat right on our border”.

On the day of Velasco’s meeting in Beijing, Trump shared on social media a map appearing to depict Canada, Mexico, Greenland, Iceland, Cuba and some other Caribbean islands as part of an expanded United States, swathed in the stars and stripes. The day before Trump had referred to the US state of New Mexico as New America.

Earlier, in mid-August, Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, the son of immediate past president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a key ally of President Claudia Sheinbaum, revealed that the US government has revoked his visa.

Reds under the bed and in the tractors

In the following article, Carlos Martinez surveys a burst of anti-China stories in the British right-wing press – the Telegraph’s warning that Chinese chips in GPS-guided tractors could be used to spy on farmers and fitted with kill switches; the Times’ claim that Chinese-made wind turbines could be used to shut down Britain’s electricity supply; and the Telegraph’s discovery of a hotel near RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus with a good view of the runway.

In each case, he notes, the evidence is absent and the motive is never explained. Meanwhile every documented instance of weaponised supply-chain hardware – Stuxnet, the NSA’s intercepted routers, Nord Stream, the booby-trapped pagers in Lebanon – belongs to Britain’s Western allies rather than to China.

He also points to an instructive contradiction: in the same week that Chinese industrial policy was being described as a threat to national survival, both the Guardian and the Financial Times carried pieces arguing that Britain should be learning from it. The purpose of the hysteria, Carlos argues, is not to inform economic policy but to build support for the US-led New Cold War.

Xi Jinping visiting New Delhi for BRICS summit

On September 10, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced that President Xi Jinping will attend the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi from September 12-13 at the invitation of Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi. It will also be Xi’s first visit to India since October 2019.

Previewing the summit, the Xinhua News Agency released two important feature articles on September 10 and 11 recapping Xi’s consistent support for the BRICS initiative and for the Global South and the reform of global governance more generally.

According to the first article: “Over the past two decades, BRICS has grown into a major platform for cooperation among emerging markets and developing countries, with an ever-expanding role in global affairs.

“At the upcoming summit, Xi will join other leaders in charting a new course for the high-quality development of greater BRICS cooperation, pooling the collective strength of the Global South and contributing stability and positive momentum to a world undergoing profound changes.”

Outlining Xi’s pivotal role in the development of BRICS, it recalls that when, in March 2013, Xi attended the fifth BRICS Summit in Durban, South Africa, it was his first international summit as Chinese president.

On that occasion, Xi called on BRICS countries to move toward the goal of integrated markets, a multi-tiered financial network, connectivity by land, air and sea, and greater cultural exchanges.

Two years later, at the seventh BRICS Summit held in Ufa, Russia, Xi called for building a partnership for world peace, common development, inter-civilisation dialogue and more effective global economic governance.

When China was the BRICS chair in 2017, Xi proposed the “BRICS Plus” cooperation model at the ninth BRICS Summit in Xiamen, calling for getting more emerging markets and developing countries involved in the group’s concerted endeavours for cooperation and mutual benefits.

In a further article published the next day, Xinhua notes that Xi Jinping is heading to New Delhi for this year’s BRICS gathering just over a week after he took part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek.

“The two back-to-back multilateral engagements converge on a single, defining theme: galvanising solidarity and cooperation across the Global South.

“This year,” the article continues, “marks the 25th founding anniversary of the SCO and the 20th anniversary of the BRICS cooperation mechanism, both milestone occasions.

“Riding the wave of the collective rise of the Global South, BRICS and the SCO have over the years expanded their membership and broadened their networks of partners. Their members jointly account for more than half of the world’s population and about 30 percent of the global economy. This illustrates the fact that the two groupings have evolved into major platforms for Global South cooperation.

“As the Global South rises, it deserves a bigger say in global affairs. Last year’s SCO Tianjin summit witnessed Xi’s proposal of the Global Governance Initiative, a major proposition of China to advance a more just and equitable global governance system.

“At the heart of this vision is the conviction that every country has a place and an equal role to play in global governance.

“Xi has long argued that international affairs should not be dictated by those with more muscles. ‘World affairs should be discussed by all, and international norms should be set by all,’ he said in Bishkek last week. ‘The domination of international affairs by a few is an injustice left over from history, and global governance dictated by one, a few or a bloc of countries is not true multilateralism.’

“‘As an important part of a multipolar world and a key driving force behind it, the Global South countries ought to have greater representation and voice in international affairs,’ Xi said.”

The article concludes by pointing out: “Beyond the SCO and BRICS, China has also promoted cooperation and greater representation for the Global South through frameworks such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the China-ASEAN summit.

“Xi has said on many occasions that China has always been a member of the Global South and will always belong to the developing world.

“‘No matter how the international landscape evolves, we in China will always keep the Global South in our heart, and maintain our roots in the Global South,’” he once said.

The importance of China’s new ethnic unity law: a webinar

The following report from Workers World covers the webinar “China’s National Unity vs. U.S. Social Hierarchy”, held on August 30 and organised by the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC), which examined the significance of China’s new Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law.

Chaired by Sara Flounders of UNAC, the panel brought together Friends of Socialist China co-editor Carlos Martinez, China Daily columnist Chen Weihua, China-based broadcaster Jason Smith, Jacqueline Luqman of the Black Alliance for Peace, and the Canadian writer Arnold August.

The speakers set out what the law actually says – that it prohibits discrimination against any ethnic group, reaffirms the right of all peoples to use and develop their own languages, and obliges the state to direct infrastructure, industry and public services towards minority regions – and contrasted this with the record of forced assimilation in the West. Several drew on first-hand visits to Xizang (Tibet) and Xinjiang, where, as Chen Weihua observes, the Tibetan language is not simply being preserved but is proliferating.

Socialist China Conference 2026 (London, 3 October)

📆 Saturday 3 October 2026, 10.30am–5pm

📍 Cypriot Community Centre, Earlham Grove, Wood Green, London N22 5HJ

Following the success of our two previous conferences, Friends of Socialist China will mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China with our third annual Socialist China Conference, in London on Saturday 3 October.

The conference is a day-long deep dive into various aspects of contemporary China, including foreign policy, the New Cold War, and AI and technology. Alongside opening and closing rallies, there will be panel discussions on:

Resisting the new cold war and the threat of hot war
AI, technology and the new quality productive forces
Book launch: China’s foreign policy and the making of a multipolar world

The event is organised by Friends of Socialist China, with support from a number of progressive organisations including the Morning Star, Communist Party of Britain, Workers Party of Britain, Communist Party of Ireland, International Manifesto Group, Student Federation of India UK, Black Liberation Alliance, AKEL in Britain, Iskra Books, Praxis Press, Manifesto Press, Caribbean Labour Solidarity, Third World Solidarity, No 2 NATO, Birmingham People’s History Archive, Labour Affairs Magazine, Mushtarek, and Institute for Independence Studies.

Tickets are available now on Eventbrite. We hope you can join us.

Confirmed speakers

Mick Wallace (Former MEP; Former TD for Wexford)
Vijay Prashad (Director, Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research)
George Galloway (Leader, Workers Party of Britain; Former MP) (video)
Jenny Clegg (Author and peace activist)
Kate Hudson (Author; Vice-President, CND)
Li Jingjing (Reporter with CGTN) (video)
Alex Gordon (Former President, RMT; General Secretary, Communist Party of Britain)
Zhang Weiwei (Director, China Institute, Fudan University) (video)
John Ross (Senior Fellow, Chongyang Institute, Renmin University of China)
Alfredo Saad Filho (Professor, Queen’s University Belfast)
Radhika Desai (Professor, University of Manitoba; Convenor, International Manifesto Group)
Roger McKenzie (International editor, Morning Star)
Francisco Domínguez (Secretary, Venezuela Solidarity Campaign)
Yanan Song (Lecturer in Global Politics)
Keith Bennett (Co-editor, Friends of Socialist China)
Carlos Martinez (Co-editor, Friends of Socialist China)
Ali Al-Assam (Managing Director, NewsSocial Cooperative)
Fiona Sim (Black Liberation Alliance)
Gearóid Ó Machail (Communist Party of Ireland)
Paul Atkin (Political analyst and environmental campaigner)
Nuvpreet Kalra (CodePink)
David Peat (Iskra Books; Friends of Socialist China)

Was Chairman Mao the greatest person to have ever lived?

The following is the full text of the remarks prepared by our co-editor Keith Bennett, as the final speaker at our webinar, organised in conjunction with the International Manifesto Group (IMG), on Sunday September 6, marking the 50th anniversary of the death of Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.

Keith’s speech was delivered in slightly abbreviated and adapted form due to time constraints. A report on the webinar can be read here. The livestream of the event is also available on YouTube.

I’m not sure whether having to speak last after such a galaxy of brilliant speakers is a blessing or a curse. Perhaps it is both.

Let me try to draw together some threads that I believe constitute the theme of this webinar.

It will be 50 years since the death of Chairman Mao this coming Wednesday. I was one of those strange teenagers whose bedroom wall, much I’m sure to my parents’ bemusement, was not decorated with posters of footballers or rock stars but rather of Mao.

So, I remember so well when I heard the news that he’d died. I’d just turned 18. It was the summer between finishing school and starting university and, as part of my holiday job, I was on my hands and knees washing a kitchen floor when the lunchtime news on the radio led with this story.

Such are the kind of memories this anniversary evokes for me.

But the passage of half a century should allow for at least the beginnings of an objective assessment of a person’s life, work and legacy.

And in this spirit, let me express a perhaps controversial view that no single person in history has ever made a greater contribution to the liberation of humanity as that made by Mao Zedong. Further, if that is the case, then it is not unreasonable to suggest that he is the greatest person to have ever lived.

In the brief time available let me try to sketch a pathway to that bold assertion.

First, regarding his style of work, Mao insisted on careful study and social investigation.

Xi Jinping greets DPRK national day

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) celebrated its 78th national day on September 9.

Marking the occasion, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, extended congratulations to his DPRK counterpart Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK.

Xi pointed out that over the past 78 years, under the leadership of the WPK, the DPRK people have achieved vigorous development in various fields of socialist construction through self-reliance, unity and hard work. In recent years in particular, under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, the WPK and the DPRK people have made every effort to advance economic and social development, scoring a series of development achievements to China’s heartfelt delight.

China and the DPRK are friendly socialist neighbours who stand by each other and share weal and woe, Xi said, stressing that it is an unswerving policy of the CPC and the Chinese government to preserve, consolidate and develop China-DPRK relations.

Xi said that he stands ready to work together with Kim to continue strengthening the strategic guidance of relations between the two parties and the two countries, jointly promote the development of their respective party and state causes, continuously improve the well-being of the two peoples and deepen their friendship, so as to make greater contributions to promoting peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world at large.

Andy Burnham: Britain is prepared to restore relations with China to their historic high

Chinese President Xi Jinping held phone talks with new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on September 8.

Congratulating Burnham on assuming office, Xi noted that China and Britain are comprehensive strategic partners. He urged the two sides to respect and trust each other, overcome differences, seek common ground and expand mutually beneficial cooperation, adding that both governments are committed to developing their economies and improving people’s well-being, and the two countries can complement each other’s strengths and facilitate each other’s development.

China and Britain are both major countries in science and technology with rich resources in education, culture, sports and other fields, Xi said, and called on the two sides to adopt an open and forward-looking approach and strengthen exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

More pointedly, considering the recent issues faced by British Steel and Chinese wind turbine maker Ming Yang, Xi expressed the hope that the British side will fully protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese investors.

Prime Minister Burnham told Xi that he had served as mayor of Manchester for many years and maintained friendly exchanges with China for years. President Xi’s visit to Manchester during his state visit to Britain in 2015 had a significant impact on promoting local exchanges and cooperation with China, he noted. Britain is ready to conduct high-level exchanges with China, advance bilateral cooperation in various fields, strengthen people-to-people exchanges, and restore bilateral relations to their historic high, so as to better benefit the peoples of both countries.

He added that amidst the current turbulent and complex international landscape undergoing changes, Britain and China, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, should promote the resolution of international hotspot issues through dialogue, jointly address global challenges such as climate change, and work together to safeguard world stability and prosperity.

Burnham also spoke highly of China’s efficient and effective response to the mudslide disaster that struck Gyirong Port in southwest China’s Xizang [Tibet] Autonomous Region on the country’s border with Nepal and expressed his appreciation for China’s assistance to affected British citizens.

The revolution that continues: marking 50 years since the death of Mao Zedong

Fifty years after his death, Mao Zedong remains among the most systematically vilified figures of the twentieth century in Western writing, but in China he is still revered as the architect of the revolution that ended imperialist domination and laid the foundations for the country’s socialist development.

On September 6, Friends of Socialist China, in conjunction with the International Manifesto Group convened a webinar to take the measure of Chairman Mao’s legacy. Introduced and moderated by Professor Radhika Desai, the panel featured Ding Xiaoqin (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), Senator Mushahid Hussain (Chairman, Pakistan-China Institute), Ken Hammond (Professor of History, New Mexico State University), Tings Chak (Asia coordinator, Tricontinental Institute), Jenny Clegg (Author and peace campaigner), Fiona Sim (Co-founder, Black Liberation Alliance) and Keith Bennett (Co-editor, Friends of Socialist China).

The webinar stream is embedded below, followed by a brief report.

The vilification is not about Mao

Radhika Desai opened by framing the problem. The charge sheet is long and familiar – the accusations of totalitarianism, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution – but, she argued, the campaign is not fundamentally about Mao at all. It is about the history he made, so this part of the record of human liberation can be dismissed as a terrible mistake from which nobody should take inspiration or lessons.

Radhika highlighted the importance of understanding the global and historical context of China’s development from 1949, starting from a baseline of horrifying poverty and technological backwardness to which imperialism and the century of humiliation had reduced it, and proceeding in the teeth of relentless imperialist hostility. What’s more, China’s industrialisation had to be accomplished without any of the things that financed Western prosperity: no tribute extracted from subject peoples, no cheap forced inputs, no exporting of surplus population to supposedly empty lands.

Given this context, China’s achievements become even more impressive, and its errors more understandable.

Three resolutions, one method

Ding Xiaoqin of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences read Mao through the three historical resolutions that the Communist Party of China has adopted on its own past. The 1945 resolution, on the eve of victory over Japan, was the first major party document to state that the party had developed a system of thought, Mao Zedong Thought, which was Marxism-Leninism adapted to Chinese conditions.

The 1981 resolution navigated a path between those who insisted on rigid adherence to all of Mao’s policies and those who wanted to repudiate his legacy wholesale. The 2021 resolution reaffirms Mao Zedong Thought as marking “the first historic step” in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context.

Running through all three, Ding said, is the basic methodology of Chinese Marxism: historical materialism, seeking truth from facts, and opposition to historical nihilism. From this follows the principle emphasised throughout the webinar: the period of initial socialist construction cannot be used to negate the period of reform and opening up, and vice versa.

Slander over solidarity: the BBC reports a Himalayan disaster

The following article by Carlos Martinez examines the BBC’s coverage of the catastrophic glacier collapse of 26 August, which sent a wall of ice, rock, mud and water down the river valleys straddling the border between Nepal and China’s Tibet (Xizang) Autonomous Region, killing well over a thousand people.

Rather than report on the disaster itself, or on its underlying cause in the accelerating warming of the world’s highest mountain range, the BBC’s China correspondent chose to run a story alleging that Beijing was suppressing footage of the event – footage which, as Carlos points out, had been released by the Chinese port authorities at Gyirong and was circulating widely on Chinese platforms. A massive rescue operation, with the direct involvement of China’s top leadership, becomes a “muted response”; Communist Party members being asked to assist their neighbours becomes evidence of authoritarian anxiety.

The article also takes apart the BBC’s assertion that Tibet was “annexed” by Beijing in the 1950s – a formulation at odds even with the declared position of the British government, which abandoned the colonial-era doctrine of “suzerainty” in 2008.

Xi Jinping pays state visit to Egypt: “The people in the Middle East should be the masters of their own affairs”

Following his state visit to Kyrgyzstan and attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Egypt, arriving in Cairo on the evening of September 1.

On that day, Xi published a signed article in Egypt’s three main newspapers, writing that he was, “Setting foot for the second time on this land nourished by the Nile. Just as an Egyptian proverb reads, ‘Once you drink from the Nile, you are destined to return’… Known for their age-old civilisations, China and Egypt have each contributed an invaluable intellectual legacy and splendid cultural heritage to the progress of humanity. The Yangtze River and the Yellow River gave birth to the Chinese civilisation, and the Nile was the cradle of the ancient Egyptian civilisation.”

Against this background: “Seventy years ago, China and Egypt officially established diplomatic relations, marking the start of New China’s friendly cooperation with Arab and African countries. For seven decades, the China-Egypt relationship has braved wind and rain and withstood the test of the changing international landscape. It has stayed on the right course, remained robust as ever, and sustained a strong momentum. It is a fine example for China’s cooperation with Arab states and Africa as a whole, and for friendship, solidarity and collaboration between developing countries.

“China and Egypt have always been close brothers standing by each other. In the struggle for national independence and against imperialism and colonialism, the people of our two countries forged profound friendship. China firmly supported Egypt’s sovereignty over the Suez Canal, and Egypt, alongside the majority of Asian, African, and Latin American and Caribbean countries, voted unequivocally in favour of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations.”

Now, “Egypt is China’s major trading and investment partner in the Arab world and Africa, and one of the first countries to participate in Belt and Road cooperation. As early as ten years ago, President El-Sisi and I jointly unveiled the China-Egypt Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone.”

Xi pointed out that: “China and Egypt have always been sincere friends committed to equality and mutual trust. At the Bandung Conference in 1955, our two countries actively supported the anti-imperial and anti-colonial struggle, and jointly advanced Asian-African solidarity. Today, China and Egypt have shared goals and a common aspiration in upholding international order, championing fairness and justice, and practicing multilateralism. Both sides firmly support the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, and both are committed to facilitating the political settlement of hotspot issues and realising peace and stability in the region. This demonstrates our commitment, as Global South countries, to seeking strength through unity and upholding fairness and justice…

“We need to enhance mutual trust and serve as a model in carrying forward friendship. The friendship between our two countries was forged by the elder generations of our leaders. It is our honour and responsibility to carry forward, develop and promote this friendship. Our two sides should continue supporting each other on core interests and major concerns and deepen exchanges and cooperation at various levels and across all sectors to ensure that the baton of friendship is passed on from generation to generation.”

SCO adopts Bishkek Declaration: “More countries can now be expected to explore this alternative path”

The website of the President of Russia carried the text of the speech delivered by President Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2026 recently held in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.

Vladimir Putin noted that: “The SCO has covered a really long path during these 25 years. I would like to remind you that the organisation, which was established in 2001 at the initiative of six states – Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – has grown to become stronger, turning into an independent and influential centre of the emerging multipolar world. It has, de facto, become the largest regional association not only on our shared Eurasian continent but in the world as a whole. Nearly half of the global population lives in its countries, which account for over one-third of global GDP.”

Referring to the draft protocol on amending the fundamental SCO Charter, he explained that “all current observer states and dialogue partners will receive the newly-introduced SCO partner status. This decision will help streamline and expand mutually beneficial cooperation between the SCO and countries and international organisations which are interested in this cooperation.”

President Putin went on to note that: “Reciprocal trade and investment exchanges continue to expand each year. For example, Russia’s trade with the SCO member states exceeded US$400 billion last year. Our states use national currencies in mutual settlements more actively. Their share exceeds 98 percent in Russia’s operations with the organisation’s members.

“The SCO Business Council and the SCO Interbank Consortium make a major contribution to implementing joint mutually beneficial economic projects. The Development Bank, being established within the framework of our organisation, could take part in this work in the future. In my opinion, this bank should receive maximum independence from the financial systems of the states which weaponise economic tools in order to obtain unilateral advantages in international affairs.”

“Yesterday”, he continued, “we attended the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games, which are currently taking place in the Kyrgyz Republic and in which representatives of many SCO member states, including Russia, are participating. Our country stands ready to host the next games in 2028 in Kazan, Russia. We will be pleased to welcome teams from all interested states.”

Concluding he noted: “I would like to remind you that today is September 1 – the day on which the Second World War began. We must do everything in our power to prevent a return to the global practice of instigating armed conflicts. I am convinced that our efforts are directed precisely towards this objective.”

The official website of the Russian head of state also reported that: “In conclusion of the meeting, the leaders signed and adopted the final documents, including the Bishkek Declaration, decisions of the SCO Heads of State Council on joint initiatives on combatting drug addiction and on countering the spread of synthetic drugs and their precursors for the period until 2030; initiatives for the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity and a joint action plan for their implementation for 2026–2031; as well as scientific and technological cooperation programmes for creating the SCO Green Technology Corridor for 2026–2030.

“The SCO leaders also adopted decisions on declaring the city of Lahore (Pakistan) as the SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital for 2026–2027, and on signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the SCO Secretariat and the African Union Commission.

“The following documents were adopted without signing: the Declaration of the SCO Heads of State Council on Strengthening Multilateral Partnership for Nuclear and Physical Nuclear Security, statements of the SCO Heads of State Council on expanding interaction in energy conservation and energy efficiency, energy systems, on supporting and strengthening the institution of the family, and on assistance to states affected by disasters.”

The Morning Star newspaper carried a feature article by Kenny Coyle analysing the significance of the Bishkek Declaration.

According to Kenny: “If you wondered where world leaders were this past week, you certainly wouldn’t have found them in London, Brussels or Washington, not even Kiev. In fact, many of the most significant leaders were in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic, from August 31 to September 1 at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

“Despite disagreements on many critical issues, a joint statement, the ‘Bishkek Declaration’, was signed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as well as other leaders of SCO member nations.”

Also underlining the growing economic significance and focus of the SCO, he writes: “This central concern, over the past quarter century, has been to break the US stranglehold over international finance and trade. The Bishkek Declaration strongly promotes the transformation of existing structures. ‘Member states support reform of the international financial architecture aimed at increasing the representation and strengthening the role of developing countries in the governing bodies of international financial institutions, including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Monetary Fund’.”

The declaration also states that: “Member states, reaffirming their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran, call for the conflict to be resolved exclusively through political and diplomatic means. In this regard, they welcome all efforts aimed at reducing tensions in the region.”

“On Afghanistan, which is a neighbour to several SCO members, it was stated that: ‘Member states reiterate that only an inclusive government with broad representation from all ethnic and political groups can bring lasting peace,’ and support ‘establishing Afghanistan as an independent, neutral and peaceful state free from terrorism, war and drugs.’ [Afghanistan also has observer status in the SCO. However, since the return to power of the Taliban its participation has largely been dormant.]

“On nuclear weapons and disarmament, the declaration reaffirmed support for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons by SCO ‘signatory members’. This is an important caveat, since neither India nor Pakistan are NPT signatories.”

[A more striking caveat is to be found in the part of the declaration dealing with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. It reads: “The Republic of Belarus, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan reaffirmed their support for the People’s Republic of China’s joint construction of the Belt and Road initiative, affirming the efforts of all parties to jointly implement the initiative, including promoting the alignment of the Belt and Road with the construction of the Eurasian Economic Union.” In other words, BRI is endorsed by all SCO members with the sole exception of India.]

At just over 4,200 words, the declaration also deals with a huge range of other issues.

Kenny concludes: “While far from perfect, the Bishkek Declaration is an example of what used to be understood in the West as ‘diplomacy’, the focus on multilateral discussions and agreements, however limited, stands in stark contrast to what is currently on offer from Washington. More countries can now be expected to explore this alternative path.”

SCO summit: Xi Jinping meets with Russian, Mongolian and Uzbek presidents

China’s President Xi Jinping met bilaterally with his counterparts from Russia, Mongolia and Uzbekistan on the afternoon of August 31 on the sidelines of the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit held in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.

In his meeting with the Russian president, Xi Jinping recalled Vladimir Putin’s successful state visit to China in May this year. During the visit, the two presidents mapped out plans from a strategic height and with a long-term perspective to steer the bilateral relations toward higher quality and higher levels and reached consensus on deepening cooperation in various fields under the new circumstances. The competent authorities of both countries are actively implementing those understandings. Many results have been achieved, and bilateral exchanges and cooperation have maintained a robust momentum of development.

President Xi emphasised that while uncertainties and unpredictable factors in the international landscape have significantly increased amid the accelerating global transformation unseen in a century, the aspiration of people around the world for peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit remains unchanged. The SCO has the important mission of safeguarding regional stability and promoting regional development. China is ready to work with Russia and all other parties to jointly draw up the blueprint for the organisation’s development, help it pursue steady and long-term progress, and boost the forces that steer global governance reform and advance an equal and orderly multipolar world.

President Vladimir Putin noted that despite the turbulent and complex international situation, Russia and China have steadily deepened their comprehensive strategic coordination, upheld equality, mutual trust, and mutual support, and enjoyed rapidly growing cooperation across different areas. Russia-China relations have become a model for state-to-state relations. With joint efforts of all parties, the SCO has become a dynamic and efficient regional cooperation platform with important international influence. Russia and China should continue to strengthen solidarity and cooperation within the organisation and play a lead role.

Meeting with President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa of Mongolia, President Xi Jinping noted that China and Mongolia are close neighbours connected by mountains and rivers, and that living peacefully together, supporting each other and pursuing win-win cooperation have always been the mainstream and defining features of their bilateral relations. China will continue to put China-Mongolia relations at an important position in its diplomacy with neighbouring countries.

China stands ready to work with Mongolia to foster greater synergy between their development strategies, advance cooperation in traditional areas such as trade, connectivity, energy, and minerals, explore cooperation potential in emerging areas such as green minerals, AI, and the digital economy, foster more sources of growth for mutually beneficial cooperation, and stride forward together on their paths toward modernisation.

President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa said that Mongolia and China are friendly neighbours and, in an ever-changing world, have consistently respected and trusted each other and remained a good neighbour to each other. China’s development offers great opportunities to its neighbouring countries and adds impetus to development in Asia and around the world. Deepening friendship and cooperation with China is a key priority in Mongolia’s diplomacy. The four major global initiatives and the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity set out by President Xi Jinping bear great significance to upholding world peace and security, promoting sustainable development, and tackling global challenges. Mongolia will join efforts with China in their implementation.

In his meeting with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, President Xi Jinping stressed that no matter how the world changes, China will never waver in its position of deepening China-Uzbekistan friendship and will always support Uzbekistan in following a development path suited to its national conditions. The two sides should join hands to strive for more successes in bilateral cooperation. The two countries should promote the high-quality construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, expand cooperation in such areas as artificial intelligence and desertification control, and stay committed to pursuing mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. The two countries should maintain robust exchanges at subnational levels, accelerate the establishment of cultural centres in each other’s countries, expand cooperation in areas such as education and poverty reduction, and promote people-to-people connectivity.

President Sadyr Zhaparov: China is Kyrgyzstan’s closest friend and most reliable partner

From August 30 to September 3, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2026 in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan and paid a state visit to the country followed by one to Egypt.

Prior to his arrival in Bishkek, Xi published a signed article entitled “Jointly Opening up New Prospects for the High-Quality Development of China-Kyrgyzstan Relations” in the Kyrgyz media.

Invoking history, he wrote: “The ancient Silk Road is a testimony to the long-standing friendship between the two peoples. In both countries, the stories of historical figures such as Zhang Qian, Xuanzang and Li Bai — who had contributed to civilisational exchanges between China and Kyrgyzstan — are still widely told.”

Having surveyed a broad range of contemporary China-Kyrgyzstan relations, the Chinese leader noted: “With justice on our side, we have jointly navigated risks and challenges. Linked by mountains and rivers and bound by shared security, China and Kyrgyzstan are staunch defenders of regional security and stability. As founding members of the SCO as well as Global South countries, we share similar positions on upholding international fairness and justice and promoting open, inclusive development. Amid changing and volatile international and regional landscapes, we coordinate closely in multilateral frameworks, actively support each other’s major initiatives, and jointly advance an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation.”

He added: “We should take a long-term view, focus on high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and continuously upgrade practical cooperation. While strengthening existing cooperation in trade and investment, connectivity, and green mining, we should also cooperate in the digital economy, clean energy, artificial intelligence, and other emerging fields. We need to move forward with building the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, accelerate the revamping of land ports, and advance institutional connectivity alongside physical connectivity to facilitate the smooth flow of people and goods.

“We need to carry forward the traditional friendship. Our long-standing friendship is an invaluable asset. We should step up exchanges and cooperation in culture, tourism, art, media, think tank, youth, archaeology, and health to forge closer bonds. We should encourage our young people to study in each other’s countries and support more substantive outcomes from subnational exchanges. We need to spread the stories of our friendly exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation to cement the foundation of people-to-people goodwill.

“We need to practice multilateralism. Kyrgyzstan’s historic election as a nonpermanent member of the United Nations Security Council is a cause for celebration. It presents us with an opportunity to enhance coordination across the UN, firmly uphold the UN-centered international system and the international order based on international law, act on the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and China’s four global initiatives, unequivocally oppose hegemonism, unilateralism, and bloc confrontation, jointly combat terrorism, separatism, and extremism, and bring into play a more just and equitable global governance system.

“Over the past 25 years, the SCO has fostered and followed the Shanghai Spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilisations, and pursuit of common development. It has pioneered a new model of regional cooperation that features partnership instead of alliance, safeguards shared security and stability, and promotes common development and prosperity. It has become a comprehensive regional organisation with the widest geographical coverage, the largest population, and enormous potential. Since taking over the SCO presidency, Kyrgyzstan has carried out a great deal of productive work. China commends Kyrgyzstan’s efforts in building consensus among member states and advancing practical cooperation under the theme ‘Together Toward Sustainable Peace, Development, and Prosperity’.”

Xi held talks with President Sadyr Zhaparov of Kyrgyzstan on the morning of August 31.

President Xi Jinping stressed that the steady and sustained development of China-Kyrgyzstan relations is underpinned by high-level political mutual trust and unwavering mutual support. China firmly supports Kyrgyzstan in safeguarding sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and supports Kyrgyzstan in following a development path suited to its national conditions. China will work with Kyrgyzstan to continue rendering each other unwavering support on issues concerning each side’s core interests.

China supports Kyrgyzstan in playing a greater role in international and regional affairs and will work with Kyrgyzstan to further enhance coordination under the UN framework, jointly implement China’s four global initiatives, oppose hegemonism and power politics, stay committed to true multilateralism, uphold international fairness and justice, and make the global governance system more just and equitable. As founding members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, China and Kyrgyzstan should work for the implementation of the outcomes of the Tianjin Summit, promote the shared development of this region, and take the SCO to new heights.

President Sadyr Zhaparov said that it is a great honour to receive President Xi Jinping on the 35th anniversary of the independence of Kyrgyzstan. This visit further demonstrates the profound friendship and high-level political mutual trust between Kyrgyzstan and China and marks an important milestone in the development of bilateral relations.

As neighbours, the two countries have been bound together by the ancient Silk Road. In recent years, with the rapid growth of the Kyrgyzstan-China comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era, the bilateral relationship has entered a golden period and reached the highest level in history. Kyrgyzstan is grateful for China’s selfless support and assistance at every critical moment in Kyrgyzstan’s development. Kyrgyzstan warmly congratulates the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and the start of the implementation of the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan, admires China’s remarkable development achievements under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, and is keen to learn from China’s governance experience, in particular President Xi Jinping’s resolve to serve the people selflessly and live up to their expectations. China has always been a high priority in Kyrgyzstan’s foreign policy and is Kyrgyzstan’s closest friend and most reliable partner. Kyrgyzstan firmly upholds the one-China principle and is ready to deepen good-neighbourliness and friendship with China on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. Kyrgyzstan will enhance cooperation with China in such areas as trade, investment, connectivity, sci-tech innovation, energy, mining and green economy, step up exchanges in areas including education, health, culture and youth, and jointly combat terrorism, separatism and extremism to uphold regional security. Kyrgyzstan is ready to actively advance the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, to make it a “steel and iron Silk Road” of the new era and a new bond of Kyrgyzstan-China friendship. The four global initiatives put forward by President Xi Jinping can help countries jointly address common challenges and make the international order more just and stable. Kyrgyzstan will enhance coordination with China in multilateral platforms including the UN, the SCO, the China-Central Asia mechanism, and the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation, to jointly uphold world peace and stability.

President Sadyr Zhaparov also extended condolences, on behalf of the government and people of Kyrgyzstan, over the devastating mudslide in Gyirong County, Xizang [Tibet] Autonomous Region. President Xi Jinping expressed his appreciation and noted that the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government are making every effort to conduct search-and-rescue operations for missing Chinese and foreign nationals, relocate disaster-affected people, treat the injured and guard against secondary disasters. Meanwhile, China has provided urgent assistance to Nepal. China has the capability and confidence to overcome the difficulties posed by the disaster and rebuild the devastated communities.

After their talks, the two heads of state signed the joint declaration between the People’s Republic of China and the Kyrgyz Republic on the high-quality development of the comprehensive strategic partnership for the new era and the treaty between the People’s Republic of China and the Kyrgyz Republic on permanent good-neighbourliness, friendship and cooperation, and witnessed the exchange of bilateral cooperation documents in areas including investment, transport, customs and sister-city relationships. During the visit, the two sides also signed more than 20 cooperation documents in areas such as science and technology, education, people-to-people exchanges and media.

Xi Jinping at SCO summit: “The trend toward a multipolar world is irreversible”

On the morning of September 1, President Xi attended the 26th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO.

The meeting was chaired by President Sadyr Zhaparov of Kyrgyzstan, the current holder of the rotating presidency of the SCO, and attended by leaders of SCO member states, including President Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, President Masoud Pezeshkian of Iran, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, and Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev of the SCO.

Xi Jinping delivered a speech on the theme, “Toward Higher Quality Development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.”

He pointed out that this year is the 25th anniversary of the SCO: “Twenty-five years ago, reckoning with the hard lessons of the Cold War, confronting the real threats from terrorist, separatist and extremist forces, and heeding the earnest aspirations of the world for peace and development, countries in our region came to a prevailing consensus on upholding sovereignty, security, and development interests. The SCO was founded in this context, and it has shown increasingly stronger vigour and vitality. Over the past 25 years, the SCO has travelled an extraordinary journey. Its biggest achievement is that it has steadily grown into a new type of regional cooperation organisation with the largest land area and population and enormous development potential. Its most valuable spiritual asset is that it pioneered, and has since followed invariably, the Shanghai Spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilisations, and pursuit of common development. Its most important experience for cooperation is that it has found the right way of coexistence featuring non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting any third party, enabling regional countries to build a common home together. Twenty-five years later today, transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the globe. The rivalry is intensifying between dialogue and confrontation, win-win and zero-sum, and multilateralism and unilateralism. The shadow of war continues to haunt the world. At such a crossroads with humanity’s future at stake, the SCO should step forward to shoulder its historical responsibility and steer the course for the future.”

In this regard, President Xi put forward four points:

Staying committed to putting development first and opening up the prospects for shared prosperity.
Staying committed to taking security as a key goal and fostering an environment of common security.
Staying committed to a people-centred approach, and cementing the foundation for everlasting friendship.
Staying committed to dialogue and consultation, and striving for more equitable and orderly governance. “We should always advocate that all countries, regardless of their size, are equal, and that regional affairs should be discussed by all countries to bridge differences and build consensus, properly handle differences through dialogue and consultation, and meet common challenges through multilateral collaboration.”

Leaders of the SCO member states signed and issued the Bishkek Declaration on the 25th Anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and approved a large number of other agreements and documents.

In the afternoon of September 1, President Xi attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Plus Meeting and delivered an important statement entitled “Jointly Advocating an Equal and Orderly Multipolar World and Making Global Governance More Just and Equitable”.

He pointed out that the meeting focuses on strengthening the role of the United Nations and building a multipolar world, and it demonstrates SCO’s commitment to reforming and improving global governance as required by our times. “Currently, major changes unseen in a century are accelerating across the globe. Hegemonism, unilateralism and protectionism are resurging against historical trends. Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of the world do not condone power politics, conflict and confrontation, or isolation and backwardness. What they want instead is to hold a place on the world stage through national development and international cooperation. In recent years, the rise of the Global South is driving a profound shift in the international balance of power. The trend toward a multipolar world is irreversible.”

Xi stressed that as a responsible major country, China advocates for an equal and orderly multipolar world. Sovereign equality and mutual respect are fundamental principles. “Mutual benefit, win-win, and inclusiveness are the way forward for development. We should ensure equal rights, equal opportunities and equal rules for all countries, regardless of their size, strength and wealth. As an important part of a multipolar world and a key driving force behind it, the Global South countries ought to have greater representation and voice in international affairs. We should promote the common values of humanity, reject double standards, exceptionalism, foreign interference, bullying and the law of the jungle, and advance the rule of law in international relations. Major countries in particular should take the lead in observing international norms and honouring the rule of law, and work together to tackle global challenges. We need to uphold the principle that world affairs should be discussed by all, and international norms should be set by all. The authority and vitality of the UN need to be restored.”

Xi pointed out that after a 25-year journey, the SCO has successfully set a stellar example in conducting relations among big countries, among neighbours, and among countries of different sizes. It has successfully brought together half of the world’s population and a quarter of the global economy, generating strong driving forces for development. A more united and vibrant SCO is fully capable of making greater contributions to a multipolar world.

To this end he put forward three points:

We should advance common prosperity in the vast continent straddling Asia and Europe with the SCO Strength.
We should promote the development and rise of the Global South through the SCO Wisdom.
We should guide the reform and improvement of global governance through the SCO Action.

He concluded: “Let us take the people-centred and action-oriented approach, jointly advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world, make global governance more just and equitable, and build a community with a shared future for humanity.”

The meeting was chaired by President Sadyr Zhaparov of Kyrgyzstan, the current holder of the rotating presidency of the SCO, and attended by leaders of SCO member states, along with leaders of other countries invited, including Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Egypt, Laos, Türkiye, Vietnam, and Togo, and heads of international and regional organisations including UN Secretary General António Guterres.

China’s photovoltaic power capacity overtakes coal-fired power for first time

Solar is now China’s single largest power source by installed capacity. The country’s installed photovoltaic capacity reached 1,286 gigawatts at the end of July, overtaking coal for the first time. PV now accounts for over 30 percent of total installed capacity, and represents more than 40 percent of capacity added in 2026.

To give a frame of comparison: China’s solar capacity alone is now around ten times Britain’s entire generating capacity, from all sources. Under the current five-year plan, another 2,800 gigawatts of renewable capacity is to be integrated by 2030 – roughly double the whole installed capacity of the United States.

Note that installed capacity is not the same as generation. Solar produced 802.4 billion kilowatt-hours from January to July, which is 13 percent of China’s electricity consumption. Liu Zhiqiang of the China Electricity Council notes that PV is intermittent and volatile, that its utilisation hours are far below coal’s, and that “in the short term, coal-fired power will remain a major source of support for the power system in China”.

However, China is working rapidly on technological innovation, and plans to generate around 6 trillion kilowatt-hours of renewable energy annually by 2030, with over 4 trillion from wind and solar, alongside integrated PV-storage systems and PV hydrogen production.

The trajectory is clear. Coal supplied around 80 percent of China’s electricity at the start of this century. It fell below 50 percent of output in the first half of this year. Carbon emissions appear to have peaked in 2023, some seven years ahead of target.

The global significance of this is profound. China manufactures over 80 percent of the world’s solar modules and 70 percent of its wind equipment. That industrial scale is why the cost of renewable energy globally is a fraction of what it was 15 years ago. This collapse in price is the single most important factor making decarbonisation viable for much of the Global South.

Cuba, under an illegal blockade and suffering daily blackouts, has installed around 1,000 megawatts of Chinese solar in two years. Zambia is getting a solar plant with battery storage in every one of its 156 constituencies. Africa’s clean energy boom runs on Chinese equipment.

Meanwhile, the US is dismantling its clean energy industry while ramping up drilling. Britain is opening new North Sea fields. The EU imposes tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and solar panels that could help cut its emissions.

China’s remarkable progress in renewable energy is the product of long-term state direction, sustained public investment and the deliberate construction of a complete industrial chain over two decades – that is, the things Western journalists and politicians consistently denounce as distortion and overcapacity.

A global energy transition is being made possible by Chinese socialism.

Chinese project gives hope to West Bank children

A report published by the Xinhua News Agency on August 25 detailed a Chinese project to give both hope and practical skills to children on the West Bank in conjunction with the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front.

One hundred and thirty-six children participated in a 10-month initiative combining education, extracurricular activities and psychosocial support.

The Volunteer for Hope organisation, affiliated with the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front, held a ceremony on August 24, attended by some 100 people, including Sun Zhen, head of the Chinese Office in Palestine, and Ahmed Majdalani, secretary-general of the Palestinian Popular Struggle Front and a Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Executive Committee member, to mark its successful conclusion.

Funded by the Chinese Office in Palestine, the project included 71 girls and 65 boys and provided 803 hours of educational and training activities, including lessons in English, mathematics and science, alongside activities in chess, Dabke (a traditional Palestinian folk dance), journalism and artificial intelligence applications.

In terms of psychosocial support, 97 children participated in group emotional expression activities, while 28 mothers took part in parenting-related activities.

Xinhua noted that: “The initiative comes as children in the West Bank face growing obstacles to regular education amid movement restrictions, deteriorating security conditions and school disruptions.”

Hind Ayyad, director of the Leaders of Tomorrow project at Volunteer for Hope said that the project had helped children become more confident and encouraged them to remain engaged with education, while expressing hope for continued friendship between the Palestinian and Chinese peoples.

Palestinian Popular Struggle Front leader Majdalani highlighted China’s support and stressed the importance of investing in children and young people as an investment in the future of Palestinian society.

Head of the Chinese Office in Palestine Sun Zhen said Chinese assistance to Palestine was rooted in the friendship between the two peoples, describing “voluntary support” and “hope” as two keywords for Chinese aid. He expressed hope that the participating children would grow into active contributors to their homeland and ambassadors of friendship between the Chinese and Palestinian people.